Posts Tagged ‘healthy living’

Soon after we moved to NOVA, our friend Lisa C. introduced us to the best restaurant I have been to in recent memory. Founding Farmers (I love the name!) is located in downtown DC at 1924 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. The restaurant is owned by a co-op of small, organic farmers. All of the produce, meats, cheeses and breads are chosen based on the following principle: the most important food choice you can make is to buy organic, local if and when it makes sense for you, and when possible, family-farm–sourced food.

Another great thing about the restaurant is that as a LEED building , it is 100% carbon neutral  - no carbon footprint at all!  Please visit their website for more information on the farmers, the building and the menu!!!

I would recommend something but EVERYTHING I have had there is soooo delicious – fried green tomatoes (cut an inch thick and served with green goddess dip and herb goat cheese) , chicken and waffles (they know to serve it with white gravy and syrup!) , bacon lollies (yes, as in lollipops!) , cornbread, deviled eggs (Columbia – way better than even the Gourmet Shop ones!)….. Everyone who comes to visit us has to eat here with us – it is a rule! Eric’s friend Idaho Laura (not sure why he calls her that – there are no other Lauras…) went with us last night – Erin C. you are up next! Frankie (the GreenItUp! logo cat) had bacon, hamburger, eggs, goat cheese and meatloaf leftovers last night.

And the bar!!! The bar serves Prohibition Era drinks with all mixers made from scratch! The Bees Knees is just that – Bombay Gin, honey and lemon juice – so delicious!

http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/

For my birthday, we decided to try their sister restaurant in Georgetown – Farmers and Fishers. Same great bar. The food was just as delicious – they of course, have a lot more seafood than the original restaurant. One notable difference is that the bacon lollipops are chocolate covered! The atmosphere was a little more crowded feeling. I am not sure if that was because it was Valentine’s weekend or because of the layout itself. At any rate, it was also impressive but we do prefer the original. Seafood lovers will want to make the Georgetown trip. See their website and menu below.

http://www.farmersandfishers.com/

If you plan on going – even on a weeknight – make reservations! They are always packed. Hopefully, that means that more restaurants that promote sustainable living will start popping up. It would be nice to have something useful become trendy for a change!

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[The email below is an actual email received by GreenItUp! Nothing has been altered.]

Dear friend,

Greetings from Andy in Tianjin City,china! Our factory specializes in the production of the following cleaning chemical,

Caustic Soda    Sodium Tripolyphosphate    Labsa    Sles

We would be more than happy to be some service of you if possible.Free sample can be sent for your close inspection.

It will be our great honor to talk about the further details.

Perhaps no business,friendship do exist.Keep Contact For Further Information.

Sincerely Yours,

Andy

Tianjin Bangtai Chemicals Co., Ltd

Add:Wah Ming Model Town, Dongli District, Tian Jin, China.

Tel:86-022-60500382

Fax:86-022-60500382

Dear Andy,

Thank you for your question! As you may know, GreenItUp! uses only homemade, non-toxic cleaners. Our products are made from completely harmless items such as vinegar, lemon juice, etc.. So, as you say, “no business” between us is possible. As for your suggestion that perhaps “friendship do exist,” I have a few things for you to consider. Do friends cause burns or blindness? Can friendship give you cancer? If we hang out, could water systems be degraded? Will our friendship make it hard for me to breathe? Because all of the items you are trying to interest me in do just these things. Therefore, I do not believe friendship do exist. You may be able to have business and friendship with most other cleaning manufacturers and maid companies, though, as they commonly use the items that you mentioned.

Happy Cleaning!

Teresa

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Recipes from previous blogs gathered here for quick and easy reference.

After Shower Spray

white vinegar in a spray bottle with 15 drops of essential oil

Litter Box Odor Control

baking soda with a few drops of essential oil

Air Freshener

spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar with 15 drops of essential oil

Sponge Cleaner

soak sponges in white vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil then boil or microwave

Ant Genocide

• 1 tsp of boric acid
• 4 tsp of sugar
• 1/2 cup of hot water
• several cotton balls

Mix the boric acid, sugar and water. Soak the cotton balls in the mixture and place them near the entrance the ants are using.

Produce Cleaner

You will need two spray bottles, white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (the 3% kind you find in the drugstore). Spray the produce with the hydrogen peroxide first and the vinegar second. Finally, rinse with water. (Do not combine the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in the same bottle!)

Tough Shower Stains

I use 3 tbsps of baking soda and 1/4 cup of liquid castile soap. Mix these together with a fork to work out the clumps. Then spread it over the stained tub and scrub with a natural bristle brush. For extra abrasion, sprinkle kosher salt on the stain as well. (The salt mixed with water gives you an added anti-bacterial agent.)

Roach Control

• a hose end sprayer
• 1 cup of liquid soap (you may substitute baby shampoo and Murphy’s oil soap)
• 1 cup of tobacco tea (made by putting a finger of chewing tobacco in a nylon stocking and soaking it in a quart of hot water until the water is dark brown)
• 1 cup of antiseptic mouthwash
• 1/4 cup of Tabasco sauce

Place this mixture in your hose end sprayer and treat the outside of your house.

Meanwhile, you need to kill any roaches that are already in the house. This is a fun one! Mix equal parts granulated sugar and baking soda. Spread the mixture in out of the way areas in your home. The roaches will be attracted to the sugar and eat the mixture. This will kill the roach because the roach has an acid based stomach and the baking soda is a base. This is even more fun because roaches eat their dead so the solution cascades through the colony!

Strip and Clean Linoleum

• white vinegar
• cream of tartar (found in the baking or spice aisle at the grocery)
• water
• a few rags or soft cloths

First, mix 1 oz of cream of tartar with 8 oz of vinegar (1 cup to 1 gallon). Apply this mixture to the floor and buff the wax off with a cloth.

Next, clean any remaining dirt with equal parts vinegar and warm water using a damp cloth.

Clean Stone Counters

a mixture of ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of liquid soap

Clean Mold, Mildew, and Fungus

1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 3 tbsps of vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil

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Green cleaning is not just about the cleaning solutions you use but also the tools you use. Take the sponge for example. We all have them. We usually buy the wrong kind. We all use them for things we don’t need to. And we throw them away WAY too soon.

So here’s the plan:

First, only buy natural cellulose sponges that are not treated with antibacterials. (I just realized I have not blogged yet about our insane obsession with antibacterial products! The biggest lie of our times – more on that some other time.) The other sponges usually contain polyurethane, which is derived from petroleum. Not only is it toxic but it is also resource draining.

Second, use cloth rags (I use pieces of old t-shirts, socks, towels, etc.); natural bristle brushes (say that 3 times in a row fast), and squeegees (on shower walls and bathroom tile) as much as possible. Avoid using sponges on dishes by rinsing immediately, which will save you time anyway.

Finally, don’t throw it out because it looks yucky and you fear it is too dirty to clean anymore. Clean it! Use it until it is falling apart. Guys, there is no such thing as TOO dirty!  Seriously, boil your sponges for a few minutes in water, ½ cup of vinegar, and a few drops of tea tree oil to disinfect. You can also soak them in the same mixture and microwave for a minute.

It takes a few extra minutes to buy the right products and a few more to make it last as long as possible. Guys, I think that is how you become Spongeworthy!

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